I
(Part I is an imaginative narrative of how humans and cats came to live together)
Have you ever wondered how we came to live with cats?
The smallest ones at least? How did they become our pets? When hath their
jungle abode they ceased?
I should
wager, on whatever measly stores I have left – that cats came to live with us
when we first discovered agriculture. Somewhere probably very long ago, people
might have had no television and were bored; and having not yet invented a
brick wall to stare at, would resort to the vast expanse around them. But with
paint not yet concocted, they would watch others do things equivalent to the
aforementioned drying.
One person might have chanced upon a
grain seed sprouting. In between clubbing Gork down by the creek and hunting
gazelles, he might have passed by this sproutling over and over, watching it
grow till it ripened and even more grain-bunched about it. Having discovered
fire already, he would have been able to cook this grain and while lying down
after enjoying his rudimentary porridge, he might have pondered upon the pros and
cons of the hunter-gatherer life. He might have thought that maybe, he had
gotten a bit old, and perhaps it was time that humanity settled down. What is
true of man is true of mankind. But how
and where? Here was the where. He only needed to tame his surroundings.
Finally, he might have thought to himself, “Hmm, I shall invent civilisation!”
And
thus, the beast-slaying lance was bent and reshaped into a sickle; so that
weeds may not hinder the year's yield. Man always changes things to suit him.
He might have cut down some long trees and re-arranged them ever so carefully,
so as to let neither prowling beast nor howling wind in. He would need a place
to store his treasure of grain, of course. He would build it. And from
somewhere deep deep in the jungle surrounding, he might have heard a faint
meow. And closer it comes, all the while lowering in volume. Suddenly, a
squeak! Man's storehouse brought along with it an infestation of vermin, which
brought along with it a peculiar apex predator.
Mouth to ear, sound to mind. And then,
eye to eye.
Cautious as its kind, the man takes to the cover of darkness. The cat sees all in the
darkness. The cat is timid – as if acknowledging that it is intruding. The man
has not been used to the idea of home as of yet. This was the first time he
tried living the territorial life. That very night, having secured his food for
the foreseeable future, and having a basic shelter to keep him from all that
wants to harm him, and having a warm body to snuggle with, he might have
thought that he had all that he needed in life. And he would be right.
II
(Part II is the actual adaption of the Khasi story)
Ka Miaw lived in the jungle with her brother, the tiger.
Her brother was the king of the jungle. And unlike some other 'king of
the jungle', he actually lives in the jungle. The tiger was boastful and vain.
He was also mighty and skilled in battle. With agility unbecoming of his
massive girth, he would dash through the thicket and bring a swift end to
whatever poor thing that may catch his eye that day. A tiger in a jungle is
indeed a marvellous sight! All striped up and camped atop a boulder or a tree,
he would greedily gobble up all his gatherings; leaving nothing for his kith
and kin.
Like
every good housekeeper, Ka Miaw would daily check the pantry for food stores.
Deplored was she when she saw that all was empty! She felt it was upon her to
keep up the good name of the family and so, thought to herself to go hunting.
Nightly, she would venture, so as to hide the shame of her family's poverty
from daylight's mockery.
Ka Miaw
was formidable in her own right and within her own weight class. While her
brother was loud of mouth, she always listened carefully. In the thicket, she
would keep an ear out for crickets or whatever vermin she may make mincemeat
of. Thus, flanked by the moonlight and only needing it, she kept up the dignity of the
house.
Now it so happened once,
that the tiger should catch a wandering illness. A great distress! The jungle
folks came in regularly to pay a visit to their ailing chief. According to
custom, it was the duty of the eldest daughter to start the hookah for the
guests. But due to his haste and lack of civility, the unruly tiger roared at
his sister to prepare a smoke immediately. Ashamed and abashed, Ka Miaw lied
that there was no fire in the house. Incensed, the tiger ordered her to set out
for the abode of humans to fetch fire.
If might makes right in
the jungle, Ka Miaw could only hope that the settlement ahead would have
different standards. The humans were very tall, so much so that she forgot the
greatness of her lineage and crept like a thief in the night. There was so much
movement about and mirth floating around that Ka Miaw felt alienated at first.
But like all cats, she was taken in by curiousity. She had many lives to
spare, after all.
The source of the great
crescendo proved to be a bunch of children entrenched in their frolicking.
They seemed to be playing. Something instinctive in Ka Miaw told her so. Play
is so very vital for a thing to grow up and live as much as could be lived. It
is a wonder that it is as of yet to be considered a thing to be pursued and
had. When the children caught a glimpse of the bedazzled Ka Miaw, they took her
before her instincts kicked in and told her to run for the hills! They stroked
her fur gently and they said many things in tolerable tones that made her purr
endlessly. What she would give to know what they were saying!
Then a booming roar
from the jungle reminded her of her task. Her brother had always been harsh of
hand and his uncomfortable disposition did not prevent him from seeking out his
sister in anger. Taking a whiff from the king's hookah was considered to be a
very high honour and all the guests were eagerly anticipating for the
opportunity to indulge in such a luxury. After waiting patiently for a long time,
they had become impatient and left. This set the tiger off on a mighty rage.
Ka Miaw quickly snatched
a piece of ember and set out for home. Her brother met her on the way. When
they finally came across one another, the tiger met her with one harsh slap
after another. Thus was the first recorded case of domestic violence in animal
history! Ka Miaw dropped the ember at her brother's feet, which distracted him
for the tiny bit of moment that she needed to escape. She quickly made her way
back to the human settlement where she found the children fractically looking
for her. As she was showered with pettings, she resolved to being their pet in
exchange for clearing their settlement of vermin. She happily accepted to do
the thing she had always been doing; only now for people who loved her
wholeheartedly.
Lalramengmawia Khenglawt who came up with this exquisitely written piece finished his MA in English Literature from Mizoram University and was leader of the Literature Club in his time there. He is an art journalist at Web Studio 8, a website he started up with a good friend. He also does translation works occasionally and worked as an editor at In Lehkha (a local publishing house) for a while. He presently teaches English Literature at Noah's Foundation School in Aizawl.
We may also safely assume he's quite a cat person.
